Cuban Willing To Draft Griner For Mavericks
LOS ANGELES (CBSDFW.COM/AP) - Brittney Griner is arguably the greatest women's basketball player in NCAA history, and Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban says he would consider drafting the All-American from Baylor.
Cuban told reporters before Tuesday night's game between the Mavericks and the Lakers that if Griner is the best player available, "I will take her."
The 6-foot-8 Griner finished her college career as the NCAA leader in blocked shots and the second-leading scorer in women's college basketball history.
Cuban says he has already thought about it and "Right now, I'd lean towards yes, just to see if she can do it. You never know unless you give somebody a chance."
Cuban said Griner would have to make the team and he isn't "opposed to giving her the opportunity."
He adds: "That'd sell out a few games."
Griner responded with a tweet: "I would hold my own! Lets do it"
Griner is 6-foot-8 with a reported 88-inch wingspan, weighing 208 pounds. By comparison, Chris Kaman, the Mavericks' starting center, is 7-foot tall and weighs nearly 60 pounds more.
"The biggest thing is, I don't think the Mavericks can use a draft pick on Brittney Griner. Strength is the factor," said former Mavericks color broadcaster Bob Ortegal on 105.3 The Fan. "The fact that she is 6-foot-8, the fact that she's 200 pounds...that's one thing. Paul George is a two guard for the Indiana Pacers and he's 6-foot-8 and 215. The strength factor is the problem."
Ortegal suggests that, if the Mavs are serious about Griner, they should invite her to summer camp.
"Let her play in the summer league. That will answer it real quick," said Ortegal.
Ann Meyers Drysdale was the first woman to get a tryout with an NBA team. The former UCLA and U.S. women's Olympic team star signed a contract with the Indiana Pacers in 1979 but didn't make the team.
(©2013 CBS Local Media, a division of CBS Radio Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)
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